International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: Potential and Challenges of an Extensive Operational Use of High Accuracy Optical Snow Depth Sensors to Minimize Solid Precipitation Undercatch

• • Title: Potential and Challenges of an Extensive Operational Use of High Accuracy Optical Snow Depth Sensors to Minimize Solid Precipitation Undercatch

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2016 Proceedings, Breckenridge, CO, USA

    Authors:

    • Kay Helfricht  [ Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (IGF), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innsbruck, Austria ]
    • Roland Koch  [ Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG), Climate Research Department, Vienna, Austria ]
    • Lea Hartl  [ Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (IGF), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innsbruck, Austria ]
    • Marc Olefs  [ Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG), Climate Research Department, Vienna, Austria ]

    Date: 2016-10-02

    Abstract: Within the pluSnow project we analyse snow depth measurements using the SHM30 optical sensor with the objective to minimize the error of solid precipitation undercatch of operational rain gauge measurements. The study is based on snow depth data from more than 50 automatic weather stations with installed SHM30 operated by the Austrian Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG). The high accurate sensor returns snow depth measurements with reasonable snow depth variations during snowfall events and a moderate correlation to gauged precipitation using sub-hourly temporal resolution. In general, there is a high correlation between snow depth changes and precipitation sums using 60-minute intervals, where the snow depth measurements on the mm-resolution surpass the cm-resolution. Nevertheless, additional analysis on new snow densities is required to compare gauged precipitation and the water equivalent of snowfall directly.

    Object ID: ISSW16_P1.28.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s):

    Keywords: new snow, snow density, solid precipitation, undercatch, snow water equivalent

    Page Number(s): 631-636

    Subjects: snow water equivalent snow precipitation snow density

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